Automatic car-coupling.



No. 643,")4. v Patented Feb. 13; P300. E. BEST. AUTOMATIC cAn couruue.

(Applicatign filed Apr. .15, 1899.]

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mzness ea" m @MW lhviTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE,

EDWARD BEST, OF LONDON, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT R. PINGEL, GEORGE TAYLOR, WILLIAM S. BARKWELL, GEORGE BURNESS, AND HOMER PINGEL, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,104, dated February 13, 1900. Application filed April 15, 1899. Serial No. 713,136. (No model.)

To ail whom it may OOH 067 sliding lock is provided with a circular pro- Be it known that I, EDWARD BEST, of the jection E, upon which are formed two eyelets city of London, in the county of Middlesex and d, with which are engaged one end of a-coil- Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented spring F, the other end of which-bears against 5 certain new and useful Improvements in Aua suitable shoulder formed within the body tomatic Oar-Couplers, of which the following of the draw-head. This spring tends always is a specification. to retain the sliding lock in its locking posi- The object of the invention is to devise a tion. simple, strong, and effective automatic car- It will be noticed on reference to Fig. 2 that [O coupler; and it consists, essentially, in prothe sliding lock is less in height than the Viding each draw-head with a pivoted hook or guideway in which 'it is adapted to slide, so knuckle provided with a tail in the path of that its front end may be readily raised from which when the knuckle is in its coupled pothe bottom of the guideway. A rib p at the sition lies a sliding lock, means being prorear end of the look almost completely fills 15 vided for withdrawing the sliding lock and the guideway, and thus tends to steady the retaining it out of the path of the tail of the look without in any way interfering with the 6 5 knuckle when the cars are being uncoupled. tipping motion just referred to. Suitable means are also provided to release Through the body of the lock 0 is formed the sliding lock and allow it to return to its a counterbored hole 6, into which is fitted a 20 normal position as soon as the knuckle has suitably-turned bolt G, which when the parts been swung to its uncoupled position, the are assembled projects outward through a whole being constructed in detail substanslot f, formed in the shell of the draw-head. tially as hereinafter more specifically de- The end of this bolt is adapted for connection scribed and then definitely claimed. with any suitable means by which it may be 2 5 Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of two moved in the slot from the sides or top of the draw-heads with couplers engaged. Fig. 2 is car. It will be noticed that the full length a vertical longitudinal section of the same. of the bolt is not greater than the height of Fig. .3 is a perspective view, partly broken the guideway in which the lock slides, so that away, of a draw-head provided with the imwhen the bolt is raised up the lock and bolt 30 proved coupler. Fig. 4 is a perspective View may be slid into position from the front of the of the tail of the hook or knuckle. Fig. 5 is draw-head and the bolt afterward allowed to a perspective view of the sliding lock upside drop through the slot f. down. his a connterbored hole drilled through the In the drawings like letters of reference inslidinglock. Within itis fitted a suitable lock- 3 5 dicate corresponding partsin the different figing-bolt I-I.

ures. 1; is a hole bored in the bottom of the draw- A is the draW-head, suitably shaped to conhead and adapted to receive the end of the tain and support the different parts. locking-bolt when the sliding lock in drawn B is a hook or knuckle, of which a is the backward sufficiently far. This hole 2' com- 40 coupling part, and b the tail or looking part. municates with the slotf, as shown in dotted This hook or knuckle is pivoted within the lines at the right hand of Fig. 1, so that the draw-head, as shown at c. locking-bolt will drop freely even though the O is a sliding lock longitudinally inovsliding lock be moved back a little farther able in a-suitable guideway D, formed Within than is necessary for accurate engagement 45 the draw-head. When the parts are in the with the hole. The head of the bolt engagcoupled position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, ing with the shoulder formed by counterborthe sliding lock lies in front of the tail of the ing the hole in the block prevents the lockknuckle, effectually preventing it swinging ing-bolt from dropping more than a limited to the uncoupled position. The rear of the distance previously determined upon.

The end of the sliding lock 0 has a flange m formed on its lower side and a curved cam 01 at its upper side. This cam not only is slightly curved in a horizontal plane and suitably curved in a vertical plane, but is also preferably made to slant downward from its front edge toward the rear, as indicated in Fig. 5. The end of the tail of the knuckle has a projection 0 formed thereon, which is adapted to enter between the flange m and the cam n, as shown in Fig. 3.

The operation of my improved coupler is substantially as follows: When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 and it is desired to uncouple the cars, the bolt G is drawn back till the locking-bolt I-I drops into the hole 71. The sliding lock is then held so far drawn back that the projection 0 on the tail of the knuckle will pass freely between the flange and the cam. Owing to the face of the cam being curved, as described, the tail of the knuckle will lift the forward end of the sliding lock till the bolt H is withdrawn from the hole 2' and the lock thus allowed to move forward to its original position; but by this time, of course, the knuckle has swung open sufficiently far to release itself from the knuckle on the opposite draw-head with which it was engaged. When the draw-head is to be coupled with another, the coming together of the two cars causes the coupling portion of each knuckle to pass between the draw-head and the locking part of the opposingknuckle, and the parts are pressed together till they again assume the position shown in Fig. 1. The projection 0 on the tail of each knuckle during this operation first presses against the face of the cam 92; but as the lock is moved back it slips below the said cam, so that though it presses the sliding lock back it will not move it far enough for its locking-bolt to again engage with the tail on the under side of the draw-head. As soon as the tail has passed the sliding lock the latter again assumes its normal position and the coupler is securely locked.

From the above description it will be seen that I have devised a very simple, strong, and efficient automatic car-couplerin which there is no possibility of the parts getting out .of order and which may be readily coupled and uncoupled at any time without requiring a man to go between the cars.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a car-coupler, a hook or knuckle pivoted in the draw-head, and provided with a suitable tail, in combination with a sliding lock longitudinally and vertically movable in a suitable guideway in the draw-head, and normally held by spring-pressure in the path of the said tail; means for drawing back the said lock to release the tail; and a lockingbolt sliding in a suitable holein the lock and adapted to project a short distance below the bottom thereof, and to engage a hole in the bottom of the draw-head when the lock is drawn back, the tail of the knuckle and the end of the lock being so shaped that the swinging outward of the tail to the uncoupled position raises the forward end of the lock and releases the said bolt from the said hole and that, in swinging outward to the coupled position, the tail slides by the lock, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a car-coupler, the hook or knuckle B, pivoted in the draw-head A, and provided with the tail 1), in combination with the sliding lock 0, longitudinally and vertically movable in the guideway D, in the draw-head; the spring F, bearing against the inner end of the lock and against the draw-head; the bolt G, connected to the lock and extending out through the slotf; the locking-bolt H, provided with a head and movable in the counterbored hole h so that it may enter the hole z'in the draw-head when the look is drawn back; the cam 71. on the front end of the lock; and the curved projection 0 on the tail of the knuckle, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a car-coupler, the hook or knuckle B pivoted in the draw-head A, and provided with the tail 1), in combination with the sliding lock 0, longitudinally and vertically movable in the guide way D, in the draw-head the spring F, bearing against the inner end of the lock and against the draw-head; the bolt G, connected to the lock and extending out through the slot f; the locking-bolt H, pro vided with a head and movable in the counterbored hole 71. so that it may enter the hole in the draw-head when the lock is drawn back; the cam n on the front end of the lock; the curved projection 0 on the tail of the knuckle; and the rib or flange P, on the lock C, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

1. In a car-coupler, the hook or knuckle B pivoted in the draw-head A, and provided with the tail 1), in combination with the slidinglock O, longitudinally and vertically movable in the guideway D, in the draw-head the spring F, bearing against the inner end of the lock and against the draw-head; the bolt G, connected to the lock and extending out through the slot f; the locking-bolt I-I, provided with a head and movable in the coun terbored hole h so that itmay enter the hole c'in the draw-head when the lock is drawn back; the camp and flange m on the front end of the lock; and the curved projection 0 on the tail of the knuckle, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a car-coupler, the hook or knuckle B, pivoted in the draw-head A, and provided with the tail 1), in combination with the sliding lock 0, longitudinally and vertically movable in the guideway D, in the draw-head; the spring F, bearing against the inner end of the lock and against the draw-head; the bolt G,

connected to the look and extending out through the slot f; the looking-bolt H, provided with a head and movable in the counterbored hole h so that it may enter the hole 1 din the draw-head when the lock is drawn back; the cam n and flange m on the front end of the lock, the curved projection 0 on the tail of the knuckle and the rib or flange P, on the look 0', substantially as and for the purpose specified.

London, Canada, March 25, 1899.

EDWARD BEST.

In presence of- E. H. JOHNSTON, O. D. JOHNSTON. 

